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 The
Cicala Players in Queen Elizabeth Slept Here by Talbot Rothwell
Staged: 29 and 30 May 1953 at the Fortune Theatre London
 When looking
back to the days of the Cicala Players, there will always be an element of
the “unknown”, as we can only guess how these people fitted in a busy
forty-five hour working week with home lives and the time and dedication to
their amateur dramatic group. In the
write-up below, from Martins Bank Magazine’s Autumn 1953 issue, we were a
little shocked to read the following comments regarding the performance of
Yvonne Lovelock - “How this naturally attractive girl was
made up to look a half-witted slut is a secret between her and the maker-up,
but the credit for the performance which matched her appearance is entirely
hers”. Perhaps this is not the most
subtle way to praise someone who is a newcomer to the Cicala Players? In fact, due to what is termed “resting”
among the acting profession, it was not just Miss Lovelock who made a notable
debut on the stage of the Fortune Theatre that night, and there is also
praise for the performance of John Peters, whose schoolboy character was
extremely well observed…
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 For their Spring
Show the Cicala Players chose the recent West End success “Queen Elizabeth
Slept Here” by Talbot Rothwell, presenting it just before the Coronation,
on the nights of Friday and Saturday, May 29th and 30th. Following the good
example set by the North Eastern Players (or because things just worked out
that way) a number of the stars were rested and several keen and able young
boys and girls were given their first opportunity, one or two appearing for
the first time on any stage. The weight of this play is borne on the backs
of the two principals who play the part of the young married couple who
acquire a ruinous cottage
and make a home out of it.
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Eric Prentice Arthur Odell Margaret
O’Neill
Ernest Yates and Mary Howse
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If they fail in
their parts the whole play fails. The choice of Mary Howse and Ernest Yates
was ideal and they both sustained their roles admirably. The honours of the
performance belong primarily to Mary for the most finished and appealing
characterisation of the show. Ernest Yates is to be specially commended for
restraining his natural tendency to burlesque a comic part. To have done so
would have ruined this part, which, as he did it, gave just the right
amount of comic relief to Mary's transports of blissful rapture. Equally
good was Eric Prentice as the ubiquitous gardener whose appearance invariably
heralded some fresh disaster or additional expense. His stance and
postures, especially, were most natural.
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John Peters
and John Howard
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John Howard,
excellently made up as the peppery retired Colonel, gave us the polished
performance we have come to expect from him in such roles. Of the newcomers
we hand the palm to Yvonne Lovelock for her portrayal of Hester, the maid.
How this naturally attractive girl was made up to look a half-witted slut
is a secret between her and the maker-up, but the credit for the
performance which matched her appearance is entirely hers. Well done!
Congratulations, too, to John Peters as the precocious horror of a
schoolboy.
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Yvonne Lovelock
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His performance was
convincing to the point where we could cheerfully have laid hands on him
ourselves on more than one occasion. Sylvia Shepherd played the
part of the daughter, whose head is turned by the visiting actor, most
attractively and within the scope of the part George Kent gave an adequate
presentation of the forsaken lover. The actor was portrayed by John Ivey.
If the make-up and dress had been more “arty” and the portrayal more
theatrical the result would have been more convincing. As it was, the
contrast between the lover forsaken and the interloper was not sharp
enough.
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Sylvia Shepherd John Ivey George Kent and
Margaret O’Neill
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Winifred Hill's
portrayal of the visiting neighbour seemed a little indecisive as though
she was not confident of her cues. Rosemary Wilson
has only one fleeting appearance to make as the cook, but this was quite up
to the standard required.
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Margaret O’Neill Arthur Odell Mary Howse
and Ernest Yates
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Margaret O'Neill played
the part of the touring actress with the right amount of disillusionment
and “blaséness” and Arthur Odell scored another success as the fraudulent
rich uncle. There were rather more prompts on the first night than we are
accustomed to expect from the Cicala Players and those, where they
occurred, spoilt the essential speed of the production but probably if we
had attended on the second night, this comment would not have been called
for. The play was produced by Charles Hawkins. Although
a considerable number of new members have joined the company these last few
months, owing to the peculiar circumstances in which production took place,
just before Coronation Week when London theatre attendances were falling
due to outside attractions, it is not yet possible to tell what effect this
new support will have on the finances. There was, again, a loss on this
production but the next show will provide the crucial test as to the
feasibility of being able to break even on a West End performance.
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